If anything has taught us about what it means to be divided, it was the year of 2020. And what a year it was. As I look back on the many things that have happened, I sometimes wonder, “How? How in the world did we make it through such a crazy year?” But then I take a step back, and now, in retrospect, I know exactly how we made it through. Jesus, His Word, God, Christians, hope, unity — these are exactly the reasons we made it through. I am reminded of what the Hebrews writer said in Hebrews 12:1-2 — “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” If our eyes are not focused on our Lord, then all is lost.
The struggles of last year are part of why this theme was picked for 2021. We have just come out of a crazy year. A lot of it is behind us (thankfully), and we are striving to live in a better time. And yet, some of those lingering issues do not just go away at the turn of a new calendar year. Every issue did not magically disappear the instant the year changed from 2020 to 2021. One of the biggest issues that came to light in the year of 2020 was the issue of our differences.
Every single human being is intricately and uniquely designed by God. No two people are the same. No two people carry the same DNA. No two people carry the exact same characteristics. The point is, every single person has differences. And in our world, culture, and society, those differences are unfortunately put in the spotlight, whether it be our occupations, our financial situations, our school places, our athletic ability, our skin color, etc. In fact, our differences are often the only things on which they focus.
But what about us as Christians? As children of God, how are we supposed to react when we are so different from one another? You see, that is the beautiful thing about the unity that is found in Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 1:10 tells us, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
Another passage that needs to be brought to light, is the end of Ephesians 2. Paul talks about a house that God built specifically for the homeless. It was for those who, back in verses 1-3, were “…dead in trespasses and sins, (2) in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, (3) among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” These were individuals who were basically homeless! But God had built them a house (which is the church — 1 Timothy 3:15) in which they could take cover from the outside elements.
We certainly could walk all through the house that God built, but we just do not have time to do that. However, I do want to mention one thing as we bring this to a close. God used faulty materials to build His perfect house (Romans 3:23). He used individuals who were once homeless. He used individuals who were once living for themselves and for the world. He used individuals who, at one point in time, had turned their backs on Him. Yet through baptism (Acts 2:38), they were able to come and have a part within the house of God. Despite the differences, and the imperfections, God used His creation — including you and me — to create something perfect.
